January 29 - Pet Peeve Monday - Barbaro, the Other White Meat

This week’s PET PEEVE MONDAY is about the untimely death of the horse known as Barbaro.

What is untimely is that it came eight months too late and too much has been made of it. It was featured on all the major networks and news web sites.

Mr. Ed (at right) didn’t receive as much coverage, and he was a talking horse, of course, of course.

Mr. Ed, the TV show, ran from 1961-1966. Ironically, Mr. Ed suffered a broken leg in 1970. It was rumored that he tripped over Tiger, the dog from the Brady Bunch, during a late night cow tipping incident on the Green Acres set. Mr. Ed was quietly put down with NO publicty.

My PEEVE about Barbaro was the endless, mindless, coverage of Barbaro, his injury, his recovery, and finally his non-recovery. He was the Ariel Sharon of the equestrian world.

What about all of the other race horses that have been tragically injured and euthanized since Barbaro’s collapse at the 2006 Preakness? What about those horses, are they not worthy? In the American Media, only winners should be covered.

Well-wishers sent cards, flowers, gifts, goodies and even religious medals for the champ. Thousands of e-mails poured into the hospital's Web site just for Barbaro. He is a horse THAT CANNOT READ. Barbaro probably did not have Internet access, at least not high speed, not in a barn.

Where was the coverage of the 2 brave U.S. soldiers that died yesterday in the helicopter crash in Iraq? Their efforts helped eliminate 200 insurgents. Their heroic story was bumped for a HORSE.

As I read the news release of Barbaro's passing, I was stunned by the quotes.

I HATE TO BEAT A DEAD HORSE, but it was as if we lost someone that had cured cancer, written a best seller, and saved a family of baby ducks from a fire.

"Certainly, grief is the price we all pay for love," said co-owner Gretchen Jackson.

"It hinged on what we said all along, whether or not we thought his quality of life was acceptable.” said chief surgeon Dr. Dean Richardson invoking visions of Dr. Kevorkian.

"This horse was a hero," said David Switzer, executive director of the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association.

I believe Gerald Ford would have said, if he too, was still alive. "Our long national night mare is now over."

People donated money to the Barbaro Fund. Over $1.2 million was raised since early June. The money was put toward needed equipment such as an operating room table, and a raft and sling for the same pool recovery Barbaro used after his surgeries. This, in a country that cannot insure it’s poor, a horse gets over $1M.

Barbaro’s parents, La Ville Rouge and Dynaformer, were in reclusion and unavailable for comment. You know why? BECAUSE THEY ARE HORSES. Where is the Horse Whisperer when you need her?

One thing I learned when studying American history is that Native Americans and many early westerners ate horse meat. Apparently, the Donner party decided not to eat their horses and went another route instead. How did that turn out for them?

In my world travels, I’m sure I might have had a horse appetizer at some point.

So in honor of Barbaro’s passing, I would like to offer a toast of my glass of Chianti. According to the Wine Spectator-Japan, it's the beverage of choice with horse.